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13:18:34:21 >>> And now, an eight special 13:18:34:21 presentation.
13:18:38:18 >>> In this edition of "Artbeat 13:18:38:18 Nation," a sculptor re-creates
13:18:38:18 his memories in clay. 13:18:45:00 >> My mind could do a lot of
13:18:45:00 things once I got the clay in 13:18:45:00 my hands.
13:18:47:09 It just occupied my time. 13:18:48:15 >>> Maneuver through abstract
13:18:48:15 art. 13:18:51:27 ��
13:18:52:09 �� 13:18:55:24 >> Abstract artists have their
13:18:55:24 own language. 13:18:59:18 >>> Learn about the western art
13:18:59:18 of rawhide braiding. 13:19:03:12 >> It�s a very detailed and
a 13:19:03:12 very precise art.
13:19:08:09 >>> And see why glassblowing is 13:19:08:09 so rewarding for one artist.
13:19:15:06 >> What I like to do is create 13:19:15:06 colored glass objects that take
13:19:15:06 on their own dimension. 13:19:22:15 >> It�s all ahead on this
13:19:22:15 edition of "Artbeat Nation". 13:19:25:09 ��
13:19:25:12 �� 13:19:39:27 >>> Funding for "Artbeat
13:19:39:27 Nation" is made possible by 13:19:39:27 contributions to Eight from
13:19:39:27 viewers like you. 13:19:46:06 Thank you.
13:19:47:27 >>> Gary Dudley, a ceramic 13:19:47:27 artist, grew up with clay in
13:19:47:27 his hands. 13:19:53:06 Now, it�s his passion.
13:19:55:06 He takes memories, turns them 13:19:55:06 into sculptures, and then casts
13:19:55:06 them in bronze. 13:20:00:09 Watch as Dudley takes us
13:20:00:09 through his creative process. 13:20:06:12 >> Hi.
13:20:07:09 I'm Gary Dudley. 13:20:09:00 I work in the name Garly.
13:20:10:18 I'm a sculptor. 13:20:13:09 Well, my mother was -- she did
13:20:13:09 ceramics. 13:20:17:18 So I used to travel with her
13:20:17:18 just to carry her stuff, I'm 13:20:17:18 eight, nine and she just
13:20:17:18 dragging me along. 13:20:24:18 I don't want to go.
13:20:25:18 So once she gets to where she's 13:20:25:18 doing her work the way she used
13:20:25:18 to keep me quiet was to just 13:20:25:18 give me some clay but I just
13:20:25:18 remember the first time she 13:20:25:18 gave me the clay was just an
13:20:25:18 amazing thing for me because my 13:20:25:18 mind could do a lot of things
13:20:25:18 once I got the clay in my hand 13:20:25:18 and it just occupied my time
13:20:25:18 and so everything went silent 13:20:25:18 for me at that point.
13:20:45:03 I grew up in Portsmouth, 13:20:45:03 Virginia, segregated at the
13:20:45:03 time. 13:20:48:00 And believe it or not, a lot of
13:20:48:00 people don't understand that 13:20:48:00 even in segregation, there
13:20:48:00 is -- the culture is just a 13:20:48:00 beautiful culture.
13:20:57:24 So a lot of things in my mind I
13:20:57:24 like to remember by sculpting, 13:20:57:24 how beautiful people seem to
13:20:57:24 me, even at a time where you 13:20:57:24 wouldn�t think it would be.
13:21:08:00 The culture itself, just look 13:21:08:00 at the underlying part of
13:21:08:00 culture, there's families, 13:21:08:00 families that go to church,
13:21:08:00 families that are raising their 13:21:08:00 kids to go to school and that's
13:21:08:00 the part I remember, that's the 13:21:08:00 part I'm trying to capture.
13:21:23:21 In some cases, it's just 13:21:23:21 pushing on the clay.
13:21:27:00 Sometimes, I don't have an 13:21:27:00 idea.
13:21:31:18 Sometimes, I'm pushing on the 13:21:31:18 clay and the idea comes to me.
13:21:35:27 Other times, like the piece I 13:21:35:27 use my daughter as the model,
13:21:35:27 Sunny's Flower, when I started 13:21:35:27 that piece, I didn't have my
13:21:35:27 daughter in mind, actually. 13:21:45:03 But I needed a child's face and
13:21:45:03 my daughter was five at the 13:21:45:03 time and I went, that face will
13:21:45:03 work for me. 13:21:51:24 That was a tough one because
13:21:51:24 she was five and the only way I
13:21:51:24 could get her to sit still was 13:21:51:24 to put cartoons on.
13:21:59:15 The Skateboarder is a little 13:21:59:15 bit different, because I've had
13:21:59:15 someone send me a photograph of 13:21:59:15 a skateboarder and I looked at
13:21:59:15 it and I said, that's a dynamic 13:21:59:15 piece.
13:22:12:24 Someone asked me, do you plan 13:22:12:24 your sculptures?
13:22:17:03 Well, yes, but those plans 13:22:17:03 usually go out the window.
13:22:21:21 Do you draw pictures of your 13:22:21:21 sculptures?
13:22:23:18 I did that in the beginning 13:22:23:18 where I said, okay, I'm going
13:22:23:18 to sketch this part and then 13:22:23:18 put this together.
13:22:28:18 But what happens is, for me, I 13:22:28:18 will struggle to try and stay
13:22:28:18 in the sketch. 13:22:32:09 I want people to come in and
13:22:32:09 go, I like it, I don't like it, 13:22:32:09 and it's okay not to like it
13:22:32:09 but move on and find something 13:22:32:09 you do like.
13:22:41:00 That's what art is, don't try 13:22:41:00 to judge what someone else is
13:22:41:00 saying art is and that's I 13:22:41:00 think where we are today.
13:22:48:12 A lot of times someone else is 13:22:48:12 waiting for someone else to
13:22:48:12 tell them whether or not they 13:22:48:12 like this piece of art, is that
13:22:48:12 okay? 13:22:53:06 It's okay if you like it, it's
13:22:53:06 okay. 13:22:58:18 For me, when I started it, it
13:22:58:18 was just a success already. 13:23:03:24 And yes, you want to have all
13:23:03:24 the -- you want to be this 13:23:03:24 great artist, I'm still working
13:23:03:24 on that, but most artists will 13:23:03:24 tell you when they create,
13:23:03:24 that's a success. 13:23:17:03 To be able to just start
13:23:17:03 something from nothing and to 13:23:17:03 make it happen is just a great
13:23:17:03 feeling. 13:23:26:12 And everything else after that
13:23:26:12 is icing on the cake. 13:23:31:06 >> To see more of Dudley's
13:23:31:06 sculptures, visit 13:23:31:06 garleysculptures.com.
13:23:38:18 >>> Jason Rohlf, an abstract 13:23:38:18 artist, wants viewers to
13:23:38:18 navigate their way through his 13:23:38:18 art.
13:23:49:00 Rohlf draws inspiration from 13:23:49:00 his everyday surroundings and
13:23:49:00 uses layers of different 13:23:49:00 materials to create his works,
13:23:49:00 guiding viewers on an artistic 13:23:49:00 journey.
13:23:58:12 >> Abstract artists have their 13:23:58:12 own language.
13:24:02:21 It's non-representational, so 13:24:02:21 you're describing and
13:24:02:21 activating a space, a 13:24:02:21 two-dimensional space with any
13:24:02:21 mark-making you want that 13:24:02:21 doesn't have to show depth, or
13:24:02:21 light, or form. 13:24:14:12 And all those things are the
13:24:14:12 rules of a traditional 13:24:14:12 landscape or still-life or
13:24:14:12 portrait don't exist. 13:24:21:24 My name is Jason Rohlf.
13:24:25:18 I am an artist from Brooklyn, 13:24:25:18 New York.
13:24:28:00 I was born in Milwaukee in 13:24:28:00 1970.
13:24:33:12 My parents were young hippies 13:24:33:12 here.
13:24:39:24 And we lived all over the state 13:24:39:24 of Wisconsin until I went to
13:24:39:24 college here in Milwaukee at 13:24:39:24 UWM.
13:24:43:03 And after about 10 years of 13:24:43:03 making art in Milwaukee, we had
13:24:43:03 a loft down on old world third 13:24:43:03 street by the Bradley Center,
13:24:43:03 and we moved to Brooklyn about 13:24:43:03 15 years ago, and that's been
13:24:43:03 our home ever since. 13:24:56:09 The full name of the exhibit is
13:24:56:09 "Navigational Aids", and I was 13:24:56:09 really thinking about the
13:24:56:09 things that help guide you 13:24:56:09 through the decision-making
13:24:56:09 process. 13:25:06:00 And right now in the
13:25:06:00 information age, we get a lot 13:25:06:00 of conflicting information, so
13:25:06:00 you'll get a piece of 13:25:06:00 information that, that takes
13:25:06:00 you to what you want to do, and 13:25:06:00 then you'll get a piece of
13:25:06:00 information that might lead you 13:25:06:00 away from that.
13:25:23:03 And then it's up to you as the 13:25:23:03 individual to reconcile those
13:25:23:03 two experiences and then make 13:25:23:03 your decision.
13:25:28:15 And I think the way the work 13:25:28:15 looks is that there's a lot of
13:25:28:15 information coming at you, and 13:25:28:15 then you as a viewer figure out
13:25:28:15 your way to navigate through 13:25:28:15 that space.
13:25:38:00 I love it when magical mistakes 13:25:38:00 occur in a painting.
13:25:42:03 The inspiration comes from just 13:25:42:03 about everything that I
13:25:42:03 experience in my day-to-day. 13:25:47:09 So it can be a construction
13:25:47:09 site, it could be some piece of 13:25:47:09 graffiti on the street, it
13:25:47:09 could be like a sticker that's 13:25:47:09 slowly eroding.
13:25:53:27 And just seeing the different 13:25:53:27 layers of how everybody
13:25:53:27 interacts with that 13:25:53:27 environment.
13:26:00:27 And then trying to capture that 13:26:00:27 as a feeling, I'm not really
13:26:00:27 illustrating it, but I'm more 13:26:00:27 trying to get the essence of
13:26:00:27 it. 13:26:07:00 And I wanted to kind of have
13:26:07:00 that growing and decaying and 13:26:07:00 growing and decaying.
13:26:11:18 And a lot of that is almost a 13:26:11:18 combination of what I
13:26:11:18 experienced here in Wisconsin 13:26:11:18 and out in Brooklyn where
13:26:11:18 things sort of age and rust and 13:26:11:18 patina, and then they're
13:26:11:18 repainted and re -- you know, 13:26:11:18 re-sanded and reclaimed.
13:26:23:09 And I wanted to show that whole 13:26:23:09 transition process happening in
13:26:23:09 the new work. 13:26:28:24 I'll start with a raw panel or
13:26:28:24 a canvas panel. 13:26:32:12 And start to add layers of
13:26:32:12 collage and thick impasto 13:26:32:12 layers of paint where the paint
13:26:32:12 almost looks like cake 13:26:32:12 frosting.
13:26:39:24 And then I will start to 13:26:39:24 incise.
13:26:43:27 I'll draw into the back of the 13:26:43:27 paint with a paintbrush.
13:26:49:18 And I'll start adding layers of 13:26:49:18 tape and cut pieces of paper
13:26:49:18 collage, and it starts building 13:26:49:18 up.
13:26:53:06 Once I've got what I think is 13:26:53:06 the outermost layer, I will
13:26:53:06 start to sand and use razor 13:26:53:06 blades to sculpt back into the
13:26:53:06 painting to reveal the things 13:26:53:06 that once had been hidden
13:26:53:06 underneath. 13:27:06:24 There's a star-like pattern
13:27:06:24 that I use that's just more 13:27:06:24 like a wind star or a compass
13:27:06:24 rose. 13:27:16:06 Some of these images feel
13:27:16:06 like lunar landscapes, like a 13:27:16:06 survey of a planet where
13:27:16:06 there'll be sort of 13:27:16:06 geographical markers.
13:27:22:21 Some feel like a map where 13:27:22:21 you'll have like a little
13:27:22:21 designation, a dot where an 13:27:22:21 intersection is or a population
13:27:22:21 center is. 13:27:28:12 And I like taking all of those
13:27:28:12 symbols and taking them out of 13:27:28:12 their original context, and
13:27:28:12 then putting them in as a 13:27:28:12 visual element.
13:27:36:03 So people who are engineers or 13:27:36:03 mapmakers will look at these
13:27:36:03 things, and they'll kind of 13:27:36:03 have a feeling that they've
13:27:36:03 seen this stuff before. 13:27:42:06 But I'm using it almost for its
13:27:42:06 esthetic quality. 13:27:47:00 The birds were always a little
13:27:47:00 side project. 13:27:49:21 My studio here on third street
13:27:49:21 in Milwaukee when I started 13:27:49:21 making the birds was on the
13:27:49:21 second floor right on the tree 13:27:49:21 line.
13:27:57:27 And the birds were always 13:27:57:27 hopping around on our
13:27:57:27 windowsills or on our window 13:27:57:27 boxes.
13:28:01:12 Then I realized that I kind of 13:28:01:12 wanted to draw the birds
13:28:01:12 interacting with the paintings. 13:28:08:06 And so now I've made the inside
13:28:08:06 of the bird mimic whatever the 13:28:08:06 subject matter is in the
13:28:08:06 abstract paintings. 13:28:14:21 So it's as if the birds have
13:28:14:21 seen the abstract paintings, 13:28:14:21 gotten back together, and are
13:28:14:21 having a conversation about 13:28:14:21 what they experienced.
13:28:24:15 A favorite painting for an 13:28:24:15 artist might be different than
13:28:24:15 a favorite painting for the 13:28:24:15 viewer.
13:28:28:03 My favorite paintings are the 13:28:28:03 ones that were the most
13:28:28:03 challenging, that maybe gave me 13:28:28:03 the most trouble.
13:28:31:27 The "squeaky wheel gets the 13:28:31:27 grease" sort of thing.
13:28:35:00 You know, sometimes there's a 13:28:35:00 painting that was just not
13:28:35:00 coming together in the way you 13:28:35:00 imagined it.
13:28:41:03 And then you make those last 13:28:41:03 few decisions that -- it just
13:28:41:03 starts to glow. 13:28:44:27 And then there's the piece that
13:28:44:27 we used for the show card 13:28:44:27 called "The Fortune Teller"
13:28:44:27 that was really resisting being 13:28:44:27 done for many, many, many
13:28:44:27 months. 13:28:53:03 Then when we decided to use it
13:28:53:03 for the show card and we came 13:28:53:03 up with a title, all these
13:28:53:03 disparate elements came 13:28:53:03 together to give us something
13:28:53:03 that, you know, I felt very 13:28:53:03 proud for.
13:29:03:21 And when you put something on 13:29:03:21 the show card, usually that's
13:29:03:21 your -- that's your darling. 13:29:12:12 You know, that's sort of the
13:29:12:12 bright star. 13:29:14:27 In the digital age, it really,
13:29:14:27 I think, is important to 13:29:14:27 remember that, that things
13:29:14:27 are -- can be made with your 13:29:14:27 hands.
13:29:23:00 And that somebody stood over a 13:29:23:00 table with tape and paint and
13:29:23:00 brushes and tools and actually 13:29:23:00 constructed something from
13:29:23:00 nothing. 13:29:31:15 To step away from your desk or
13:29:31:15 from your day-to-day and just 13:29:31:15 to come and ponder on something
13:29:31:15 visual that's in front of you 13:29:31:15 that's actually made by another
13:29:31:15 person. 13:29:41:18 That person is bringing
13:29:41:18 something that the only purpose 13:29:41:18 of that object is to give you
13:29:41:18 something to reflect on, and 13:29:41:18 look at, and see new ideas and
13:29:41:18 react to. 13:29:54:27 That would have to be my joy:
13:29:54:27 that there's still somebody out 13:29:54:27 there actually doing something
13:29:54:27 with their hands and bringing 13:29:54:27 it to a viewer to experience.
13:30:11:09 >> Learn more at 13:30:11:09 jasonrohlf.tumblr.com.
13:30:28:12 >>> The western art of rawhide 13:30:28:12 braiding might be dying out,
13:30:28:12 but for Tim George, a master of 13:30:28:12 the craft, it�s still very much
13:30:28:12 alive. 13:12:13:18 Take a look at his
13:12:13:18 detail-oriented art. 13:30:41:27 ��
13:30:42:09 �� 13:30:42:24
13:30:47:03 >> This is a calf hide that�s 13:30:47:03 been made into rawhide.
13:30:51:27 We�ll start cutting the string 13:30:51:27 around in a circle at 1.25
13:30:51:27 inches. 13:31:00:03 My name is Tim George and I�m
a 13:31:00:03 rawhide braider, and I�ve been
13:31:00:03 braiding for over 35 years. 13:31:05:03 We�re going to have to
13:31:05:03 reintroduce moisture to it so I
13:31:05:03 can cut it. 13:31:10:12 It�ll take about three days
13:31:10:12 before it�s ready to cut. 13:31:17:24 When I was a young man, I
13:31:17:24 started to buckaroo and I met a
13:31:17:24 man named Red Oster who 13:31:17:24 repaired saddles and did some
13:31:17:24 simple braiding on the side. 13:31:25:24 Then one day, he was in there
13:31:25:24 braiding a reata and every time 13:31:25:24 he�d go to pull a string tight
13:31:25:24 he�d bump into me. 13:31:31:21 And he said that if I was going
13:31:31:21 to stand around here in the way 13:31:31:21 I might as well learn
13:31:31:21 something. 13:31:38:21 Okay, once our hide is ready to
13:31:38:21 cut, first, what we�re going to
13:31:38:21 do is we're going to start 13:31:38:21 splitting it down or bringing
13:31:38:21 it into one consistent 13:31:38:21 thickness.
13:31:48:06 We�re going to use the old 13:31:48:06 Osborne �86 here.
13:31:52:09 I grew up in Elkton over on the 13:31:52:09 Oregon Coast.
13:31:56:15 And then when I came over to 13:31:56:15 Eastern Oregon in �75, I fell
13:31:56:15 right into it and I�ve been 13:31:56:15 here ever since.
13:32:04:21 When I go to the coast a 13:32:04:21 depression sets on me.
13:32:07:09 And it�s not till I come back 13:32:07:09 over the mountain and feel my
13:32:07:09 whole body just go (sighs). 13:32:14:18 I�m home.
13:32:15:18 This is my country. 13:32:19:27 >> Still, Tim hasn�t left the
13:32:19:27 ocean behind entirely. 13:32:23:24 Western rawhide braiding grew
13:32:23:24 out of the knot sailors have 13:32:23:24 been tying for centuries.
13:32:28:24 And folks in Pendleton will 13:32:28:24 tell you that Tim makes some of
13:32:28:24 the finest examples of the work 13:32:28:24 anywhere.
13:32:32:27 >> Braiding is not uncommon. 13:32:35:24 If you go to Southeast Oregon,
13:32:35:24 Paisley, Fields, Jordan Valley, 13:32:35:24 you�ll see people braiding.
13:32:47:27 Tim has taken that cowboy art 13:32:47:27 to the ultimate level.
13:32:49:09 I don�t believe there are more 13:32:49:09 than 10 people in the world
13:32:49:09 that can braid at the level Tim 13:32:49:09 does.
13:32:54:06 >> Like the sailors before 13:32:54:06 them, original rawhide braiders
13:32:54:06 took up the craft out of a 13:32:54:06 practical need.
13:32:58:00 >> Most of it was developed by 13:32:58:00 the vaquero coming up through
13:32:58:00 Argentina, Mexico. 13:33:06:00 Whenever they had times off in
13:33:06:00 the evening, or whatever, let�s 13:33:06:00 say they wanted to plat a rope,
13:33:06:00 if they had a need for a head 13:33:06:00 stall, a set of reigns, they�d
13:33:06:00 just sit down and make the 13:33:06:00 functioning pieces that they
13:33:06:00 needed. 13:33:20:27 >> The material to make the
13:33:20:27 gear was also ready at hand. 13:33:30:06 >> Rawhide is merely the
13:33:30:06 cowhide, elkhide, horsehide, 13:33:30:06 with nothing more than the hair
13:33:30:06 and flesh removed. 13:33:37:00 Where leather is a chemically
13:33:37:00 treated process, and rawhide is 13:33:37:00 10 times stronger than leather
13:33:37:00 is. 13:33:45:09 It won�t dry rot, it will stay
13:33:45:09 in this condition literally 13:33:45:09 forever.
13:33:54:09 >> This practical craft turned 13:33:54:09 into an art form.
13:33:57:24 And most of Tim�s work now goes 13:33:57:24 straight to collectors.
13:34:03:18 >> We're now going to split it 13:34:03:18 down to 1/32 of an inch.
13:34:16:18 This is 1/32 of an inch. 13:34:17:03 I can cut you one at 1/64 of an
13:34:17:03 inch. 13:34:26:12 >> Tim�s renown is earned by
13:34:26:12 the care he takes with every 13:34:26:12 step of this demanding process.
13:34:29:12 >> Now, we are ready to bevel 13:34:29:12 the edge of the string.
13:34:35:15 This just takes the little 13:34:35:15 sharp edge off.
13:34:36:21 >> The string is too small to 13:34:36:21 run through the splitter.
13:34:39:09 So Tim does this step by hand. 13:34:43:27 Just to be clear, that string
13:34:43:27 is 1/64 of an inch wide. 13:34:49:21 >> At this point, it too is
13:34:49:21 ready to be braided into a 13:34:49:21 notch.
13:34:53:24 >> Say, could you do that with 13:34:53:24 your left hand?
13:34:56:27 >> Yes, ma�am. 13:34:57:12 This is pure showmanship here.
13:34:59:24 >> You did that with your left 13:34:59:24 hand!
13:35:01:15 >> Well that�s what you wanted! 13:35:02:12 [ laughter ]
13:35:09:21 >> As exacting and as 13:35:09:21 exhausting the process is
13:35:09:21 already it�s still all just 13:35:09:21 preparation for the actual
13:35:09:21 braiding. 13:35:13:12 Today, Tim is braiding a quirt.
13:35:15:00 A Spanish-style flexible whip. 13:35:22:21 >> The barrel of the quirt is
13:35:22:21 24 strings and then we have 13:35:22:21 these series of knots.
13:35:24:21 So we might take it to an under 13:35:24:21 four over four.
13:35:27:06 And here we are actually up 13:35:27:06 over seven and eight string.
13:35:32:18 Okay, so at this point when 13:35:32:18 we�re raising it from up one
13:35:32:18 over one to up two over two. 13:35:36:21 We�re simply increasing the
13:35:36:21 diameter of the knot. 13:35:42:06 Now that we are going under
13:35:42:06 three were going to over two 13:35:42:06 under one.
13:35:49:15 >> If you�re lost already, 13:35:49:15 you�ll be forgiven.
13:35:51:06 But Tim insists that it�s 13:35:51:06 actually pretty simple.
13:35:56:09 >> The turk�s head is the 13:35:56:09 foundation of all these knots.
13:36:00:03 I can increase it to a larger 13:36:00:03 turk�s head or at this point
I 13:36:00:03 could start interweaving it.
13:36:07:18 Want me to do it left handed 13:36:07:18 too?
13:36:09:21 >> Very funny, but even if 13:36:09:21 rawhide braiding is simple
13:36:09:21 enough to do with your 13:36:09:21 nondominant hand, Tim is the
13:36:09:21 first to admit that this art 13:36:09:21 form is not for everyone.
13:36:22:15 >> It�s a very detailed and a
13:36:22:15 very precise art.your hands, 13:36:22:15 you don�t have time or the
13:36:22:15 patience, you simply aren�t 13:36:22:15 going to make it.
13:36:34:27 So I really have to focus on 13:36:34:27 what I�m doing: to be able to
13:36:34:27 keep everything straight, get 13:36:34:27 everything to fit like it is,
13:36:34:27 without making any mistakes. 13:36:43:27 >> So what happens when he does
13:36:43:27 make a mistake? 13:36:51:27 >> Not only can I tie sailor�s
13:36:51:27 knots but I can cuss and curse 13:36:51:27 like one too.
13:36:54:21 >> Tim is a master of the 13:36:54:21 classic western style but he is
13:36:54:21 also pretty handy at the South 13:36:54:21 American Gaucho style.
13:37:03:03 This kid of braiding requires a
13:37:03:03 tool known as a fid to separate 13:37:03:03 the fine strings as Tim braids
13:37:03:03 them. 13:37:10:27 >> The gaucho style is more
13:37:10:27 artistic then ours, but doesn�t 13:37:10:27 have the durability that ours
13:37:10:27 does because, of the fineness 13:37:10:27 of the strings.
13:37:23:09 Then of course if it gets 13:37:23:09 flipped over you have to pull
13:37:23:09 it out and start all over. 13:37:26:12 You probably aren�t going to
13:37:26:12 want to stay here until this is 13:37:26:12 done, because we�ll be at this
13:37:26:12 for several hours. 13:37:38:00 >> This art form takes time and
13:37:38:00 it might be for this reason 13:37:38:00 more than any other that it�s
13:37:38:00 now in danger of dying out. 13:37:47:06 >> We�re in a computer age.
13:37:47:21 We want it now. 13:37:48:09 We�ve gotta see it now.
13:37:54:24 We don�t have the patience that 13:37:54:24 a craftsman needs.
13:37:56:03 We just don�t have that 13:37:56:03 anymore.
13:38:01:24 >> For Tim George, Eastern 13:38:01:24 Oregon�s open spaces, and more
13:38:01:24 relaxed pace of life are the 13:38:01:24 ingredients he needs to keep
13:38:01:24 this vanishing art form alive. 13:38:11:15 >> For me it�s worth the time.
13:38:12:21 I just love working with my 13:38:12:21 hands and the idea that I take
13:38:12:21 a cowhide and make an article 13:38:12:21 that is going to last a long,
13:38:12:21 long time. 13:38:22:24 It will be here long after i�m
13:38:22:24 gone. 13:38:32:06 >>> The art of glass blowing is
13:38:32:06 more complex than one may 13:38:32:06 think.
13:30:42:18 Artisan Steven Monser observes 13:30:42:18 that unlike painters, who can
13:30:42:18 paint, stop and come back to 13:30:42:18 their canvas later,
13:30:42:18 glassblowing is a 13:30:42:18 time-sensitive art.
13:38:55:09 �� 13:38:55:18 ��
13:38:56:00 13:38:57:24 >> What I try to do is in my
13:38:57:24 own way, I�m not trying to 13:38:57:24 recreate the wheel.
13:39:02:24 It�s been done. 13:39:09:15 What I like to do is create
13:39:09:15 colored glass objects that take 13:39:09:15 on their own dimension.
13:39:17:09 I look into the vat of clear 13:39:17:09 2,100-degree glass and it�s
13:39:17:09 sort of like a palette. 13:39:19:15 It can be anything you want it
13:39:19:15 to be. 13:39:25:18 It can be a vessel, it can be
a 13:39:25:18 plate, it can be a bowl, and it
13:39:25:18 can be a paperweight. 13:39:30:03 You can take clear glass, and
13:39:30:03 it�s all around us all day 13:39:30:03 long.
13:39:31:15 People don�t even notice glass 13:39:31:15 and then turn it into something
13:39:31:15 that�s really beautiful, really 13:39:31:15 amazing.
13:39:40:18 I don�t know how else to 13:39:40:18 describe it.
13:39:41:15 It�s just so rewarding when it
13:39:41:15 comes out with a finished 13:39:41:15 product and you can really be
13:39:41:15 proud of it. 13:39:46:12 Glass is very delicate.
13:39:47:18 You have to bring it up to 13:39:47:18 temperature very slowly.
13:39:52:06 It takes about 24 to 26 hours 13:39:52:06 to get it up to 2100 degrees.
13:39:54:03 It�s a process. 13:39:59:00 A fire pit keeps it hot.
13:39:59:15 It�s sort of like a drippy 13:39:59:15 honey type thing on the pipe.
13:40:02:06 You take it to the bench, you 13:40:02:06 work it and as it cools, you
13:40:02:06 have to reheat it so you can 13:40:02:06 work it again.
13:40:10:00 It goes from 2100 down to say 13:40:10:00 1400 where it won�t work
13:40:10:00 anymore. 13:40:13:12 Then you have to reheat it, add
13:40:13:12 color, and your finished 13:40:13:12 product ends up in what we call
13:40:13:12 an annealer which will take 13:40:13:12 about 12 hours to cool it down
13:40:13:12 to room temperature so it 13:40:13:12 doesn�t crack.
13:40:25:24 It sounds involved but there�s 13:40:25:24 a method to each piece.
13:40:36:06 Focus is really important. 13:40:36:21 Because you�re focusing on what
13:40:36:21 you�re doing and then you also 13:40:36:21 have to remember what comes
13:40:36:21 next. 13:40:39:21 And you really have to pay
13:40:39:21 attention because we�re working 13:40:39:21 with 2,100-degree glass.
13:40:48:15 And so you have to in a way try 13:40:48:15 to relax mentally but on the
13:40:48:15 other hand, you�re given a 13:40:48:15 certain amount of time, about
a 13:40:48:15 minute and a half to work it so
13:40:48:15 there�s the coordination of 13:40:48:15 patience, but "hurry up because
13:40:48:15 it�s getting cold" type of 13:40:48:15 thing.
13:41:06:18 To me, glass blowing is very 13:41:06:18 rewarding because it takes so
13:41:06:18 long to do, so long to learn 13:41:06:18 and there�s so much involved.
13:41:16:00 And I think that�s what draws 13:41:16:00 me to it.
13:41:17:21 It�s not the simple, sometimes 13:41:17:21 I envy people that just paint.
13:41:20:03 Because you can take your easel 13:41:20:03 and just paint and you can stop
13:41:20:03 and come back. 13:41:28:12 Where this has a little more
13:41:28:12 complexity to it, which is 13:41:28:12 probably why I�m drawn to it
13:41:28:12 more. 13:41:36:06 My parents took me to the
13:41:36:06 corning museum of glass when I 13:41:36:06 was a kid and we had colored
13:41:36:06 glass in the house and for the 13:41:36:06 windows and that experience
13:41:36:06 just kind of stuck with me for 13:41:36:06 quite a while and I�ve always
13:41:36:06 been drawn to it. 13:41:46:12 Some people ask me what it�s
13:41:46:12 like to blow glass or what it 13:41:46:12 feels like and that�s really
a 13:41:46:12 hard thing to describe how it
13:41:46:12 feels and I say well have you 13:41:46:12 ever seen a dog with his head
13:41:46:12 out the window? 13:41:59:18 That�s sort of what it feels
13:41:59:18 like. 13:42:01:06 You can�t really explain it
but 13:42:01:06 it�s just a very good feeling
13:42:01:06 of doing it. 13:42:20:27 >>> For more arts and culture,
13:42:20:27 visit azpbs.Org/artbeat where 13:42:20:27 you�ll find feature videos and
13:42:20:27 information on the Arizona arts 13:42:20:27 scene.
13:38:55:27 Funding for "Artbeat Nation" is 13:38:55:27 made possible by contributions
13:38:55:27 to Eight from viewers like you, 13:38:55:27 thank you.
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